Chi: War through a Clone's Eyes
by AstorOsprey
Summary: (ON HIATUS! See Profile for New Story) Chi is a clone trooper among the first in the Grand Army of the Republic. This story follows him and his squad through their experiences in the war. Rated T just in case. Read and Review!
1. Prologue

Cadet CT-1722 felt his heart racing as he and his four brothers began their first live training sequence. He had been chosen to lead his squad, at least for now, to test who had the aptitude to take actual command. As the platform locked into place on the training floor, he nodded at his close friends, ready to begin their final steps towards active duty.

"Let's do this, mates!" he shouted, leading them towards cover.

A hail of blaster fire fell from towers above, and the sound of marching droids echoed throughout the chamber. His team, although nervous, was dedicated to their task. The team cycled through cover, advancing and eliminating all droid threats in their path. Trainers overlooking their progress were impressed by their prowess on the battlefield.

As the final droid was brought down and the objective secured, 1722 knew he and his 'family' were destined to be great.


	2. Chapter 1: Beginnings

It was graduation day! His class of cadets was exemplary, and each was eager to do his part for the Republic. The soon-to-be troopers were anxious as to what their assignments would be. 1722's team hoped that they would be able to ship out together, as they had become close. There was 2198; who named himself Hawk (the best point-man for any operation), 1884; he chose the name Blade (ironically enough, 1722 thought, since he couldn't handle a knife to save his skin), 1451; he became known as Notch for keeping his droid kills tallied on his armor, and finally 1888; cleverly named 8-Ball, more of the silent type.

"Chi, hurry, we need to get to the armory!" Notch said, biting at the bit to be first in line.

"Alright, alright. I'm coming, go find the others and I'll meet you there"

 _One Month Earlier_

"Trooper 1722 step up." His drill instructor ordered, "Why haven't you chosen a name for yourself? Unlike some of my peers, I find names to be useful, both in combat and on base."

"I haven't even considered it, sir." He replied.

"I'll make this easy on you. I'm going to call you Chi. Where I'm from, Chi stands in for the number 22. Very appropriate!"

 _Present Day_

After meeting up with his batch-mates, Chi and his brothers are ordered to pick up their armor, freshly painted. Not only was this moment a time of triumph for them, it also determined what unit they would be sent to after the ceremony that afternoon. Each squad member stepped up to their respective crate, hauling it back to their quarters where they would either say their final goodbyes or rejoice that they are deployed together.

"Let's open them together, as family," suggests 8-Ball, surprising Chi that he actually spoke.

They flicked open the tops, and pulled out the datapad, on which their future was held.

"I got the 224th," Chi said.

"So did I" Blade remarked, as well as every other member of the group.

"How did that happen? I thought everyone was assigned to different units…" questioned Notch.

"Whatever the reason, we're lucky. We brothers get to stick together!" Hawk said with vigor.

"Damn straight! Let's suit up and get to the ceremony." Chi replied

As they donned their armor, a new design made specifically for the Republic's new army, Chi noticed that his has the green markings of a Sergeant. He dug deeper into his datapad, and found that because of his aptitude for command during training, he would be given the honor of leading his group. He was overjoyed, and took his squad to the hangar for their official entry into the army.

After an inspiring speech from a group of their trainers, they marched in parade order onto their respective Acclamator-Class carriers. Once on board, they received their orders: they were headed to Geonosis.


	3. Chapter 2: First Battle

"Get ready boys, hold on tight," Chi said to his squad as they boarded their LAAT gunship.

As the Acclamator Assault Ship descended towards the planet, Chi, his team, and several other squads were chosen to be a part of the airborne invasion of Geonosis. Their objective: destroy the power generators supplying the droid factories on the planet.

When they passed through the atmosphere, the gunships left the hangar, and hundreds of clones began the first assault of the war. From within their own gunship, Chi saw dozens of transports hit by flak fire, all the while being tossed about by their pilot's evasive maneuvers.

"Put us down, put us down! We have to get to the surface!" the Captain shouted.

The pilot manages to break through the screen of flak, but in total only half of the original transports made it through. Chi knew it would be a tough fight, and he was worried about what was coming, but he had to push on, for his brothers.

"Let's move! Get into cover!" He yelled.

"Watch the right flank, here they come!" Blade added.

A massive army of droids was advancing, B-1 droids followed by the larger B-2 units. The droid force opened fire, and a wave of red covered the clones' location. The Captain ordered return fire, and the troopers answered, letting blue bolts of energy fly in every direction. Troopers who decided to advance were cut down almost instantly, leaving them mangled on the ground. Seeing this, Chi knew that his team had to stay put until enough of the droids had been shot down.

The five soldiers held behind rock formations in the desert environment, keeping up the rate of fire as they watched others fall to the enemy.

"Don't stop, brothers! Keep firing, we have to make it through!" Chi said, trying to keep himself and his squad calm.

This was the first time any clone has seen actual combat, and they were not prepared for the sheer destruction that resulted. The only satisfaction came from knowing that for every clone that fell, 10 droids or more went with him.

Eventually, the firefight died down, and a well-timed airstrike finished off the last of the droid battalion. The clone soldiers pushed forward, reduced in strength significantly yet again. Despite the lack of reinforcements, they had to continue on.

When they reached the generator complex, the Captain ordered Chi's squad in first to clear the way for the demo-squad.

"Stay in formation, Hawk take point," Chi ordered as they stepped through the hatch.

The corridors of the complex were dark and oddly shaped, almost organic, Chi thought. They made their way towards the central chamber, running into no resistance.

"Too quiet." 8-Ball noted.

"You would know," Blade shot back.

Out of seemingly nowhere, Geonosian warriors opened fire, shattering rock above the troopers' heads. The clones fired back, killing some and causing the others to retreat back where they came from. Within the next few minutes, they made it to their destination, and reported in to the Captain.

The sight of the compound collapsing in on itself was the most satisfying moment of the battle. The remaining troopers boarded their transports, weary from their first engagement, and were relieved by fresh reinforcements from another division.

Back on their ship, Chi could only think of sleep, and clambered into his bunk with his armor still strapped to his body.


	4. Chapter 3: Change

It has been a week since the battle at Geonosis. Chi is distraught by the loss of so many, but relieved that his squad made it out alive. His unit has spent its time on small raids along Separatist space, with little resistance. He waits for his next opportunity at full scale battle, knowing now what to expect and how to handle it.

 _4 Months Later_

On patrol along the border between the Separatists and Republic, Chi and his troopers received orders to report to the armory.

"Maybe it's a clanker attack! I'm ready for a real fight!" Notch said excitedly.

"We'll see, I guess," Chi replied

After making their way through the corridors on their ship, the troopers reported to the armory officer.

"Troopers, command is changing our armor coloring system. Instead of rank, it will display unit. As the 224th, we will have dark grey markings on our armor. You are allowed to pick your designs that can be added."

Hawk chose the obvious design for his helmet. Notch picked a simple stripe for his armor. 8-Ball made his choice, a large number 8 covering the forehead of his helmet. Blade without hesitation chose an x pattern across the top of his helmet, and diagonal stripes across the sides. For body armor, the squad agreed to choose full color shoulder pads, and a triangular shape on their chest plate.

Chi however, decided to go out of the box with his design. He made his helmet almost entirely colored, with fang-like spikes coming from the filter on the front. On his forehead he chose to add red horns, to spice things up. If there was one thing he liked doing, it was standing out in a crowd.

For the next few weeks, all any of the clones could talk about was their armor. It became their pride and joy, they took care of it as best as they could. It helped them to become more individuals than clones.

 _3 Months Later_

New orders came in to the 224th, they were to assist the 501st and the 212th on Christophsis. Having been fully reinforced after their last skirmish with the enemy, they jumped to hyperspace to link up with the other units.

By the time they arrived in-system, the battle was already started, and they were deployed by gunship from orbit. Chi thought it was lucky that they didn't experience any resistance on the way down. As they landed, he summed up the situation on the battlefield. The clone army was slowly but surely being pushed back by the droids, using variants he had never seen before. His squad was ordered to reinforce General Skywalker's force on the main avenue. He was excited, since he never had the opportunity to serve under a Jedi before.

"Get up to that line, hold this position," he ordered, hoping that they would all make it out alive.

Chi fired what seemed like endless bolts from his DC-15. He personally shot down what seemed like dozens of droids, but they wouldn't stop coming. This cycle of fighting continued for hours, until the droids pulled back, regrouped, and pushed forward again. Days of this persisted, and running low on supplies, Chi and his men were low on hope.

As the battle persisted, Chi heard an urgent call for assistance through his com channel. The droids were breaking through on the Republic's left flank, a full platoon with the support of a tri-droid. Since no one was available to reinforce, Chi decided to take action.

"Follow me, brothers. I have an idea!"

On their way to the position of the assault, his squad gathered spare thermal detonators and repair torches. When they reached their brothers, Chi told the clones that remained to give cover fire. Hawk and Blade were given the detonators, while Notch and 8-Ball were told to hold this position with the others. Chi followed his squad mates, and giving the signal, they caused an explosion which knocked the droid off-balance. When it fell, it gave Chi the opportunity to burn up its circuits with the torch and the other troopers to blast its sensors. The flank was secure, and his team had just done the impossible.

Soon enough, they received reinforcements from the fleet, which was finally able to break through the blockade. As the last few droids were mopped up, Chi was called on by Commander Cody of the 212th

"Sergeant Chi?"

"Yes sir, reporting as ordered,"

"Good, I wanted to commend you on the work you and your men did today. You 5 were able to bring down a tri-droid on your own, very well done!"

"Thank you sir!"

"As a result, I am happy to give you the rank of Lieutenant. You were in need of another officer after the battle today, and your ingenuity proved you were right for the job. Prove me right, Lieutenant Chi!"

"Yes sir!"

With the battle won, the 224th returned to their station aboard _Providence_ , their Acclamator Class starship. The platoon was buzzing about their new officer, whom they had bonded to closely over the past months as one of their own. All that was left now was to see how he would handle his first battle.


End file.
